MacBook Air Mid-2013 - Internet Recovery Downloads Yosemite?

[SSD-GUY]

Hi all

I recently bought a mid-2013 MacBook Air 13 off ebay for my brother.

However, when I boot up too Internet recovery, instead of downloading Mavericks, it downloads Yosemite and then asks me to install it.

Any idea why this is happening?

It is a fairly new Mid-2013 model, as in the 1 year warranty runs out in December 2015, meaning it was bought in December 2014, however the laptop came with Mavericks?

My understanding is that Internet recovery downloads the operating system that comes with the Mac, and as it's a mid 2013 model, it should download Mavericks (I don't like Yosemite, the contrast/white colour/thin font isn't brilliant for the MBA resolution IMO).

Please advise.

Thanks all

 

[DeltaMac]

Are you sure that the serial number relates to a 2013, and not a 2014 model? They are nearly identical, except for processor.

If it was sold new in December 2014, it should still have come with Mavericks installed, AFAIK.
There's a great chance that you COULD install and use Mavericks, if that's what you really want to try.
All you need is the installer app for that. If it is on your Purchased list in the App Store, you can download it, then create a bootable installer (so you don't have to download it next time. )
And, El Capitan will be around soon, and you may like the system font used in El Cap better.

 

[SSD-GUY]

Are you sure that the serial number relates to a 2013, and not a 2014 model? They are nearly identical, except for processor.

If it was sold new in December 2014, it should still have come with Mavericks installed, AFAIK.
There's a great chance that you COULD install and use Mavericks, if that's what you really want to try.
All you need is the installer app for that. If it is on your Purchased list in the App Store, you can download it, then create a bootable installer (so you don't have to download it next time. )
And, El Capitan will be around soon, and you may like the system font used in El Cap better.

I have managed to install Mavericks on it, but I had to use my Mac Pro and make a bootlable USB. It just doesn't feel 'official'.

I can assure you, when checking the serial the Apple website says mid-2013 model.

 

[Shirasaki]

What I would guess is: is this the system shipped with the machine? Yosemite was released at fall in 2014. If that computer was assembled after the release of Yosemite, then the default system would be Yosemite.

Apple uses Internet recovery to ship the system coming with this machine, other than model.

 

[SSD-GUY]

What I would guess is: is this the system shipped with the machine? Yosemite was released at fall in 2014. If that computer was assembled after the release of Yosemite, then the default system would be Yosemite.

Apple uses Internet recovery to ship the system coming with this machine, other than model.

But it's a mid-2013 model. I don't think Apple could have assembled it around October 2014 (when Yosemite came out?)

I mean why would they, the early 2014 MacBook air was the latest model then.

 

[DesignerOnMac]

But it's a mid-2013 model. I don't think Apple could have assembled it around October 2014 (when Yosemite came out?)

I mean why would they, the early 2014 MacBook air was the latest model then.

The mid 2013 MacBook Air was release on 07 July 2013. It was announced at WWD in June, 2013. I own this model. It came installed with Mavericks.

 

[Shirasaki]

But it's a mid-2013 model. I don't think Apple could have assembled it around October 2014 (when Yosemite came out?)

I mean why would they, the early 2014 MacBook air was the latest model then.

I still can see Apple selling old models in my nearby Apple Store. So it is still possible to purchase an old model machine after Yosemite release.

 

[z31fanatic]

But it's a mid-2013 model. I don't think Apple could have assembled it around October 2014 (when Yosemite came out?)

I mean why would they, the early 2014 MacBook air was the latest model then.

It is possible. I had an early 2014 model Air which was built in February 2015. I am going to sell it so I did the internet recovery and it indeed installed Yosemite.

Same with my mid 2014 rMBP. It was built in March 2015. I bought it used and did internet recovery when I received it and it installed Yosemite.

 

[SSD-GUY]

The mid 2013 MacBook Air was release on 07 July 2013. It was announced at WWD in June, 2013. I own this model. It came installed with Mavericks.

I know right. Mine did too. It's just weird that when I start Internet recovery, it downloads Yosemite and not Mavericks?

I called apple support and they wouldn't help. They said they can only support me by downloading the latest version of OS X (Yosemite) and that they won't support Mavericks installations?

 

[SSD-GUY]

It is possible. I had an early 2014 model Air which was built in February 2015. I am going to sell it so I did the internet recovery and it indeed installed Yosemite.

Same with my mid 2014 rMBP. It was built in March 2015. I bought it used and did internet recovery when I received it and it installed Yosemite.

But your cases are fine. Apple didn't relase a replacement for the Mid-2014 MacBook Air until
mid-2015.

With your rMBP it's the same thing. There was a early 2014 rMBP and now, just recently, there was the mid-2015 update with broadwell and force touch etc.

Both your macs were released within (albeit close to the end) their respective time frames.

With my MacBook Air, it's a mid-2013 model, there's no doubt about it, I can post my about this Mac screenshot and also the apple serial number verification page. It doesn't make sense that Internet recovery downloads Mavericks for it?

 

[z31fanatic]

Maybe Apple dropped Mavericks support altogether? It is weird that yours came with Mavericks but will only install Yosemite.

 

[SeaFox]

My understanding is that Internet recovery downloads the operating system that comes with the Mac, and as it's a mid 2013 model, it should download Mavericks...

I think you are mistaken.

I purchased a 2010 White Unibody Macbook from a well-known used dealer a few months back. I had been expecting to get the normal brand-new machine setup wizard when I booted it up, but what I got was a machine with a user account already configured and the admin username and pass on a Sticky on the desktop. Being paranoid there might be other software on it I was not aware of, I did an internet recovery on it first thing. The machine had Yosimite on it when I got it, I told it to do a full erase and reinstall, and when I started the process I put in my iCloud ID credentials to log into the App Store to make sure it was registering as "my" machine and not under some other info -- and it recovered to a new Yosimite install and still recovered the stupid user account from before.

I ended up adding a new admin account on System Preferences and deleting the old generic-named one in the end to get rid of it.

 

[z31fanatic]

The machine had Yosimite on it when I got it, I told it to do a full erase and reinstall, and when I started the process I put in my iCloud ID credentials to log into the App Store to make sure it was registering as "my" machine and not under some other info -- and it recovered to a new Yosimite install and still recovered the stupid user account from before.

It was your mistake. What you should have done before proceeding with the reinstall, is go to disk utility, delete the partition, and then create a new partition. Then exit and proceed with the internet recovery. This way you would have started fresh. It wouldn't recover the old user account because you had deleted it and reformatted the drive before reinstallation.

 

[SSD-GUY]

I think you are mistaken.

I purchased a 2010 White Unibody Macbook from a well-known used dealer a few months back. I had been expecting to get the normal brand-new machine setup wizard when I booted it up, but what I got was a machine with a user account already configured and the admin username and pass on a Sticky on the desktop. Being paranoid there might be other software on it I was not aware of, I did an internet recovery on it first thing. The machine had Yosimite on it when I got it, I told it to do a full erase and reinstall, and when I started the process I put in my iCloud ID credentials to log into the App Store to make sure it was registering as "my" machine and not under some other info -- and it recovered to a new Yosimite install and still recovered the stupid user account from before.

I ended up adding a new admin account on System Preferences and deleting the old generic-named one in the end to get rid of it.

Nope. Apple says so on their website themselves, scroll down:

https://support.apple.com/en-gb/HT201314

• " If you use Internet Recovery to reinstall OS X, it installs the version of OS X that originally came with your computer. "

EDIT: As mentioned previously, this MBA has its one year applecare warranty until December 2015, meaning it was opened on December 2014. However, it is also a BTO machine as it has an i7 and 8gb of ram with 256gb SSD. Does that mean a mid 2013 machine could be build to order in december 2014? Even if the early 2014 macbook airs were out then?

 

[Shirasaki]

Nope. Apple says so on their website themselves, scroll down:

https://support.apple.com/en-gb/HT201314

• " If you use Internet Recovery to reinstall OS X, it installs the version of OS X that originally came with your computer. "

EDIT: As mentioned previously, this MBA has its one year applecare warranty until December 2015, meaning it was opened on December 2014. However, it is also a BTO machine as it has an i7 and 8gb of ram with 256gb SSD. Does that mean a mid 2013 machine could be build to order in december 2014? Even if the early 2014 macbook airs were out then?

It is still possible.

Apple may sell old models in recent months, for such as emptying stock purpose.

Or, maybe, something is wrong with Yosemite? We all know Yosemite is buggy.

All are my guess, btw.

 

[motrek]

...
My understanding is that Internet recovery downloads the operating system that comes with the Mac ...

This hasn't been my experience.

Internet Recovery has always installed the most recent OS that was installed previously on the machine.

I suspect that Apple keeps a list of Mac serial numbers and OS versions to make this happen.

It's probably smart because if any changes to the firmware have been made, it might be necessary to have the corresponding OS version. You might run into some incompatibilities otherwise.

 

[Shirasaki]

This hasn't been my experience.

Internet Recovery has always installed the most recent OS that was installed previously on the machine.

I suspect that Apple keeps a list of Mac serial numbers and OS versions to make this happen.

It's probably smart because if any changes to the firmware have been made, it might be necessary to have the corresponding OS version. You might run into some incompatibilities otherwise.

https://support.apple.com/en-gb/HT201314

• " If you use Internet Recovery to reinstall OS X, it installs the version of OS X that originally came with your computer. "

This is from apple support site.

Other than this, I have same assumption of how Apple make this come true.

 

[motrek]

https://support.apple.com/en-gb/HT201314

• " If you use Internet Recovery to reinstall OS X, it installs the version of OS X that originally came with your computer. "

This is from apple support site.

Other than this, I have same assumption of how Apple make this come true.

I wouldn't trust support pages like this.

Apple is a big company. I bet they aren't organized enough to keep such pages accurate or current. That's not a bad thing, it's just a fact of life.

 

[SSD-GUY]

I wouldn't trust support pages like this.

Apple is a big company. I bet they aren't organized enough to keep such pages accurate or current. That's not a bad thing, it's just a fact of life.

I disagree.

I've just ran Internet recovery on my MBA 11 (in signature) which is also a mid-2013 model.

It proceeded to download Mountain Lion, which is what it shipped with.

Therefore I think there is a problem with the MBA 13. I will be taking it into an Apple store, as Apple support on the phone are saying that Mountain Lion is available to download through Internet recovery (on my MBA 11) but Mavericks isn't?

 

[DeltaMac]

This hasn't been my experience.

Internet Recovery has always installed the most recent OS that was installed previously on the machine.

I suspect that Apple keeps a list of Mac serial numbers and OS versions to make this happen.
...

I think your suspicion is inaccurate, at best.
I think your experience seems to come from using the Recovery system (which would offer whatever OS X created that Recovery partition), and not the system that is offered when you boot to Internet Recovery, which does not check the OS X that is local to your system, it relies on how your Mac connects to the servers. Internet Recovery offers the system that originally shipped on your Mac, nothing newer. An exception would be those Macs that are now included in Internet Recovery, but shipped before Lion was released. Just tried again. My 2010 MBPro shipped a year before Lion was released, and came originally with Snow Leopard. It has Yosemite installed. It has been fully erased a couple of times during those years, including upgrade from HDD to SSD, with each time using clean installs of OS X newer than Lion, and, in fact, never has had a clean install of Lion. Yet, booting to Internet Recovery offers Lion, and that's the only system offered on this Mac through Internet Recovery, even though Lion was just an upgrade for me, and never a clean install.

 

[n-evo]

Yup, when using Internet Recovery on my 2013 iMac it defaulted to OS X Mountain Lion as well, instead of OS X Mavericks or Yosemite. It will always default back to the OS X release it originally shipped with. Kinda wonder why.

 

[DeltaMac]

There is no "why", there is only "do"

Apple has never said this in any other way about Internet Recovery.
Internet Recovery allows you to reinstall the same system that your Mac shipped with.

But, I think I have seen enough users ask how to get their Mac ready to sell, and they sometimes want that original system to be installed, after erasing the drive. Internet Recovery makes that pretty much a one-step process, and you know what you have is clean, and won't be including your information/files. It's just a clean install that you know will work.

 

[SSD-GUY]

I will be going in to see them soon at the Genius Bar.

Phone support is non existent, they won't help me. What rights do I have if they say we only support you installing yosemite?

 

[DeltaMac]

One answer is simple enough - install the system that you want to use - assuming it is one that your MBAir supports.
If your MBAir SHIPPED with Yosemite (and a mid 2013 did not, despite what you see), then an Apple tech can only restore from Yosemite. If it originally shipped with Mavericks (and a 2013 MBAir did), then Apple should support going to that version, too.
Even a refurbished "new" Mac (from the Apple store) will have the same system that was installed originally.
Get your own Mavericks installer. An Apple store may provide that, if you ask, for a Mac that should support Mavericks.
There might be some nominal fee to copy media, I don't know about that.

Or, get your own Mavericks installer, install it, and be done.

 

[SeaFox]

Phone support is non existent, they won't help me. What rights do I have if they say we only support you installing yosemite?

I was going to mention that Mavericks is still available on the App Store -- but it's not now. I know within the last two months it was. Maybe with El Capitan coming out they have changed the support policy to only Yosemite.

In any case, have you tried deleting the partition as z31fanatic told me above had to be done to get the original OS back on the machine?